WHAT IS CBD? (A DEFINITIVE CBD DICTIONARY)
WHAT IS CBD? (A DEFINITIVE CBD DICTIONARY)
CBD is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis plants like hemp known to allow you to enjoy its benefits without making you feel high. This is your CBD definitive dictionary, helping you know how to take CBD, CBD types, its benefits, and related topics.
CBD is one of the many cannabinoids in nature identified for allowing you to feel its effects without making you feel. It is similar to THC, a psychoactive cannabinoid, but because of the difference in the molecular arrangements, they vary in how they affect psychosis. CBD oil is the primary way to enjoy CBD benefits. Still, there are other CBD deliverables, including edibles you can munch, topicals for the skin, vapes that you can inhale, capsules that you can swallow, and isolates that you can add to your dishes and drinks. While considering trying CBD, you must know how it affects your drug tests and whether it makes you high. These, and more, are covered on this blog.
What Is CBD?
The first and the most important thing for you as you join the CBD regime is to understand CBD for what it is. Many people are into CBD products, but only a few know it for what it is. What is CBD? Mascal et al. (2019) defined CBD as a non-psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis plants. There are many cannabinoids in nature, and CBD is one of them. CBD is similar to THC, another cannabinoid, in the number of atoms, but their molecules are arranged differently. Thus, Schlienz et al. (2018) reported that THC is psychoactive and will make you high, but CBD remains non-psychoactive, pulling many clients to it.
Types of CBD
Knowing what CBD is matters, but you also need to know the various types in which you can explore it. Do you want to try CBD products? You must choose what to go for from one of the following forms;
- Full-spectrum CBD; is the most sought CBD type. It features CBD with additional compounds like THC, flavonoids, terpenes, and more.
- Broad-spectrum CBD; is a THC-free alternative to full-spectrum CBD. It allows you to enjoy the many compounds in the hemp plant without THC.
- Isolate CBD; this is the purest form of CBD, featuring the cannabinoid with extra compounds. It is great for newcomers who want CBD without the earthiness of hemp compounds.
How to Take CBD
How do you enjoy the many claims people link to CBD? Here are a few suggestions you can follow through before ultimately deciding which way to go; Learn more about why does cbd taste bad?
Eat CBD
You can go for the ready-to-eat CBD edibles like gummies, chocolates, honey sticks, cookies, and brownies, to enjoy CBD with taste and flavor. Still, the edibles delay CBD effects since they need time for digestion.
Take CBD Orally or Sublingually
You can put the CBD oil drops on or below the tongue. The latter ensures quick results since the blood vessels below the tongue take CBD to the bloodstream really fast.
Apply CBD to Your Skin
CBD topicals like creams and balms are designed for external use, and people apply them to the skin for pain, inflammation, and other uses.
Swallow CBD
When you put the CBD oil drops on or below the tongue, you swallow them. You can also swallow CBD caps that mask the bitterness of CBD oil, allowing you to explore the benefits of the cannabinoid without feeling its earthiness or bitterness.
Vape CBD
CBD vape oils are all over the CBD market, and you can inhale them using the right vaping equipment to allow fast delivery and quick CBD effects.
Cook with CBD/ Infuse Your Meals with CBD
You can add CBD oil drops or isolate powder to your meals and drinks to feel the cannabinoid's effects through your favorite dishes. Learn more about how to take cbd products?
Health Benefits of CBD
Before spending on any CBD product, homemade or bought, you must know what CBD can offer your body. According to Watt & Karl (2017), CBD is therapeutic, but you must know the extent of this therapy. Vučković et al. (2018) examined CBD studies from 1975 through March (2018) and reported that the cannabinoid reduces acute and chronic pain, especially in the case of cancer, fibromyalgia, and neuropathy. Is that all for CBD? Shannon et al. (2019) reported that CBD fights pain and anxiety, helping you sleep better. These findings sound quite promising. Yet, you must know that more studies are needed to prove them true since CBD research is only in infancy. Besides, the FDA has not approved using CBD for pain, stress, and sleep, although people take it anyway.
CBD and Drug Tests
If you are considering taking CBD, you must know how it affects drug tests, especially if you belong to the sports world. Does CBD show up in drug tests? Modern drug tests use saliva, hair strands, urine, and blood as specimens and aim to detect THC and its metabolites in your system. CBD in its purest form will not show up in drug tests. Still, the CBD formulation matters and the quality of the CBD product you are taking. Isolate, and broad-spectrum CBD from high-quality brands have no THC and will not show up in drug tests. Meanwhile, depending on the THC percentage in full-spectrum CBD, it may or may not show up in drug tests, whether high- or low-quality. Lastly, how you take CBD matters. CBD topicals do not allow cannabinoids into the blood; regardless of their formulation or quality, they will not appear in drug tests.
CBD and the High Effect
Schlienz et al. (2018) reported that THC is psychoactive, showing that it makes you high. Meanwhile, Mascal et al. (2019) noted that CBD is non-psychoactive and will not make you high. Thus, you will not get high from CBD, but the THC content in the CBD product matters. The higher the THC percentage in the product gets, the more likely you are to get high from it. As with effects on drug tests, CBD topicals will not make you high even if they have THC. They do not let CBD into the bloodstream, so you can feel CBD benefits with them but not get high.
Conclusion
CBD is the non-psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis plants, and is majorly extracted from hemp. Unlike THC, another cannabinoid, CBD does not make you high. Stull, the THC percentage in the CBD product you are taking matters and affects how CBD makes you feel. CBD can make you fail drug tests if it has some THC. Thus, the THC percentage and the CBD formulation of the product matter. Do you want to enjoy CBD? You can opt for its edibles, oils, tinctures, caps, vapes, and topicals coming in isolate, full- and broad-spectrum formulations.
References
Elms, L., Shannon, S., Hughes, S., & Lewis, N. (2019). Cannabidiol in the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Case Series. Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), 25(4), 392–397.
Mascal, M., Hafezi, N., Wang, D., Hu, Y., Serra, G., Dallas, M. L., & Spencer, J. P. (2019). Synthetic, non-intoxicating 8, 9-dihydrocannabidiol for the mitigation of seizures. Scientific reports, 9(1), 1-6.
Schlienz, N. J., Lee, D. C., Stitzer, M. L., & Vandrey, R. (2018). The effect of high-dose dronabinol (oral THC) maintenance on cannabis self-administration. Drug and alcohol dependence, 187, 254-260.
Vučković, S., Srebro, D., Vujović, K. S., Vučetić, Č., & Prostran, M. (2018). Cannabinoids and pain: new insights from old molecules. Frontiers in pharmacology, 1259.
Watt, G., & Karl, T. (2017). In vivo evidence for therapeutic properties of cannabidiol (CBD) for Alzheimer's disease. Frontiers in pharmacology, 8, 20.
